Chapter 12 - Envy his parents

  It was times like this that Ariel missed her mother.

  After the short meeting with her father, Ariel was reminded once again how little say she had in her own life.

  She didn’t mind Ryn tagging along; he was strong, and if things went south, he’d handle it.

  What frustrated her was not him, but her father. Not once had he asked if she was willing. She had not even known about the ball until almost as recently as Ryn himself, and the thought of being left in the dark frustrated her.

  Ryn, however, didn't seem to mind. At their first meeting, she had felt the same envy she always did toward knights. They had the freedom to roam the world, to choose their path, yet still they bound themselves to the palace. But it had not taken long to realize there was nothing enviable about a knight’s life. Watching Ryn was proof enough: shoved beneath impossible weight, carrying burdens that weren’t his, without the option of refusal.

  Not that he ever complained. No, he bore it with that same maddening calm, like that pressure was the only air he knew how to breathe. At first, she thought all knights were like that. She knew better now.

  Ryn wasn’t dutiful. He was insane. Almost at peace when someone else was pulling the strings, like being ordered around made him steadier. It was ridiculous. Infuriating, but above all else, it was strange, something she didn’t quite understand and probably never would.

  “What a strange young man,” her father mused. “I envy his parents; having such a disciplined child must make life so simple.”

  Ariel’s hands curled into fists at her sides, nails biting crescents into her palms. But she gave him nothing. No anger, no retort. She would not gift him the satisfaction of a reaction.

  Instead, she turned sharply, skirts snapping against her legs as she strode toward the great doors.

  Her silence thundered louder than any protest she could have spoken.

  ***

  Ryn left the hall with a strange look lingering on his face. For a time, he walked in silence, the echo of his boots carrying down the corridor, until at last he let out a slow sigh.

  He had worried, after hearing whispers of the king’s summons from Sylvas and seeing Ariel’s unsettled expression, that something distressing awaited him. Yet, the task was far lighter than he had feared. A few lessons, a ball, and guarding the princess, none of it seemed worse than what he had already endured.

  In fact, if he compared it to his first day at her side, this felt almost merciful.

  Ryn continued pondering this for a while until he was met with a familiar voice.

  “Ryn!”

  He turned at the sound of her voice. Lilia was running toward him, silver hair tumbling loosely, her pale face tight with worry. She skidded to a stop, breath catching in her chest.

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  “I… I heard from the other maids,” she said, her words spilling out in uneven bursts. “Th-they said the King called you in for a meeting… what… what happened? Is Lady Ariel… is she alright?”

  Ryn, long accustomed to Lilia’s halting way of speaking, answered calmly.

  “Yes… Ariel is fine. But it seems the King is planning something big.”

  And with that, he told her everything: the rising tensions between Solvara and Varghelm, the sudden invitation, the shift in both location and timing for the Solvara Festival. His words were measured, steady as stone.

  But as he spoke on, Ryn began to notice the change in her face. Lilia’s color drained with every detail. Her lips parted as if to respond, but closed again, and a thin sheen of sweat glistened against her pale brow. By the time he finished, she looked as though the weight of his words had hollowed her out.

  “Honestly,” Ryn said, finishing his recap, “I was expecting far worse.”

  At that, Lilias's composure finally cracked. Her eyes widened, her voice rising in disbelief.

  “So let me get this straight… the King expects a barely educated boy like you to suddenly act and speak like a polished noble, learn to dance, master etiquette, carry conversations, all in two weeks?”

  She leaned forward, exasperation brimming over.

  “And you think that’s easy?!”

  A silence hung over the two of them

  Ryn stilled.

  “I mean… when you put it like that, it doesn’t sound quite as easy as before.”

  A few seconds of silence passed before he added, almost defensively, “I’m not that uneducated. I can write some words… and read even more.”

  “...S-Solvara is... finished,” Lilia whispered, her voice trembling as if the words themselves hurt to say. Her pale face seemed to sink further, weighed down by a dread she couldn’t hide.

  Seeing the maid overcome with emotion, he tried to comfort her

  “Hey, don’t worry,” Ryn said, voice soft but unsure. “They say conversation’s just like fighting… so I’ll figure out how to speak like a noble before you know it.”

  However, Ryn's thoughtful insights only seemed to weigh Lilia down further. Her expression sank, his words, somehow, even to Ryn's confusion, turned her worry into something heavier instead of easing it.

  Then her eyes lit, as if a small lamp had flickered on in her head.

  “Th-that’s it…!” she blurted, almost startling herself. “I can help you… that way I can finally… finally support Ariel too.”

  Ryn blinked, unsure if he’d heard her right. “…Help me? You mean, like, sit through these classes with me?”

  Lilia shook her head quickly, hands clutching her skirt. “N-no, not exactly. But… after your lessons, I can review things with you. Make sure it sticks. Correct the little mistakes before they grow.” She took a small breath.

  She steadied her hands against her skirt, forcing herself to meet Ryn’s eyes.“At the end of each day… starting tomorrow… after your lessons… We’ll go over everything you’ve learned.”

  Ryn shifted, brow raised. “You know about dance and noble talk?”

  Lilia puffed her cheeks ever so slightly, a nervous pout sneaking through. “O-of course… I-I’m not a royal maid for nothing. I trained for this.” She hesitated, her eyes dropping.

  “…Even if I’ve never had to use it much.”

  “I guess I don’t really have much of a choice,” Ryn replied. “Though I’ll warn you now, teaching me might be easier than you hope.”

  Lilia flinched, then gave the tiniest laugh under her breath. “I… I really, really hope so.”

  There was a beat of silence. Ryn let out a deep breath.

  “…Thanks, Lilia. Really. I mean it.”

  Lilia puffed out her chest—though her voice still wavered.

  “N-no problem, Ryn… if I help you, then… I’m basically saving the whole kingdom from war, right?”

  She held the pose for a moment, cheeks pink, before quickly glancing away as if embarrassed by her own boldness.